Technical Field
The present invention relates to a sheet manufacturing apparatus, a sheet manufacturing method, a sheet which is manufactured using the sheet manufacturing apparatus and the sheet manufacturing method, and a composite and a container which are used in the sheet manufacturing apparatus and the sheet manufacturing method.
Related Art
Obtaining a formed body with a sheet shape or a film shape is performed in the past by accumulating a substance with a fibrous form and utilizing the mutual bonding force between fibers which are accumulated. As a representative example, there is the example of manufacturing paper by forming sheets using water. Sheet forming methods are currently widely in use as one of the methods for manufacturing paper. It is often the case that paper which is being manufactured using a sheet forming method typically has a structure where cellulous fibers which are derived from wood materials or the like are entwined with each other and are partially bonded to each other using a binder (paper strengthening agent (starch paste, water soluble resin, and the like).
Using the paper forming method, it is possible for fibers to be accumulated in a favorably uniform state, and in a case where a paper strengthening agent or the like is used in bonding the fibers to each other, dispersing (distribution) is possible in a state with excellent uniformity within the surface of the paper even with the paper strengthening agent. However, it is necessary to use a large amount of water since the paper forming method is a wet type of method, and there is a necessity for water to be discharged, drying to be carried out, and the like after the paper is formed and the amount of energy and time which is used for this is extremely large. In addition, there is a necessity for the water which is used to be appropriately treated as discharge. Accordingly, it is becoming difficult to respond to recent demands for energy savings, protection of the environment, and the like. In addition, it is often the case that large-scale utilities and infrastructure such as water, power, and water discharge facilities are necessities for the apparatus which is used in the sheet forming method and scaling down the size of the apparatus is difficult. From these points of view, there are expectations for a method, where water is not used or is hardly used which is called a dry type of method, as a method for manufacturing paper instead of the sheet forming method.
For example, a trial for an air laid nonwoven fabric, which includes a highly water absorbent resin and where there is adhesion between fibers using a thermal bonding synthetic resin, is disclosed as a technique in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-099172.
However, the thermal bonding resin in the technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-099172 has the properties of a powder and there is a concern about the resin detaching from between the fibers during an air laid process. It is described in paragraph [0013] of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-099172 that the thermal bonding powder passes through the gaps in the mesh conveyor (mesh belt) when the thermal bonding powder is small and it is difficult for the thermal bonding powder to be fixed between the fibers. Accordingly, it is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-099172 that it is appropriate to use a thermal bonding resin powder where the particle diameter is relatively large (20 mesh pass—300 mesh on).
However, when the particle diameter of the resin is large, the uniformity of dispersion of the resin over the manufactured sheet deteriorates. Accordingly, it is desirable that the particle diameter of the resin is smaller in order for the resin to be uniformly dispersed between the particles.
In addition, there is typically suction from below the mesh belt in a case where a web is formed using an air laid process. By doing this, it is thought that it is easy for the resin to become detached from between the fibers when forming the web when the particle diameter of the resin is smaller than the size of the opening of the mesh belt. For this reason, a design is necessary such that it is difficult for resin to become detached from between the fibers even when the particle diameter of the resin is small.